February and March are the hardest months of the year for moi; probably due to lack of sunlight, crappy holidays and general ennui. Here are bands that both confirm my sad-sackness, and yet, offer a beam of cathartic light. (I am unsure about that metaphor, but let’s just move on, shall we?) So, sweep away your bangs, emo kid, and check out some tunes.

Firstly, I’ve been listening to Modern Baseball’s Sports a ton. A wink to American Football, obvs. It’s cool to hear a band of people my age singing about stuff like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, because, y’know, so much of my life is lived through these things, and yet, I’m guessing it’s a matter of very short time before these lyrics are dated as hell. It’s like how slowly, TV shows and movies are starting to show texting as a normal way of communicating. (This is because I’ve been watching a shit ton of “Sherlock.”) I wonder how funny these shows will seem in re-runs a decade from now.

To include a local band, Whoopass Girls. This band gets better and better every time I hear them, and I would probably be an all-out fan if I didn’t tangentially know a couple of these young dorks. ‘Cause it’s creepy to be a fan of 18-year-old dudes who you actually have met, right? They are probably the only people in Missoula besides me who like Joyce Manor, so there you go.

Iron Chic. Insert Latterman reference here. Anthemic, inspirational, epic as hell. A friend of mine broke her nose at their set at Fest. These guys are the kinda big deal that I suspect won’t be coming through our li’l town again soon, so I really hope there’s a good turnout for the show at the ZACC on March 27. Stream The Constant One, which is a hell of an album, on Bandcamp.

Swearin’. Yeah I know they have a newer album, but I’m obsessed with 2011’s What a Dump. WHY DIDN’T I LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM WHEN IT CAME OUT? Argh. “You can’t make me love you back, and you can’t make me react.”

The Front Bottoms. Oh man, talk about epitome of the sad sack. Which, of course, I mean in the best possible way. Lyrics that I hate myself for how much they get stuck in my head.

Radiator Hospital. Oh my God this song:

This song forever. This should be put behind glass and labeled Use In Case of Break-Up.

And lest ye think I am all about the pathetic pop songs (okay, well, I am) but Trash Talk and Pissing Contest. Hardcore/thrash to put on my iPod while I walk headfirst into the wind and sleet and scowl at the alternative school kids smoking in the alley.

Hey Missoula! Go look at that calendar, it is abundant with musical loudness. Most excellent. Word is that the English Beat show at the Top Hat was excellent; your fair MPN editor can’t party very much at the moment, but rest assured that as soon as I possibly can, I want to chug a beer and headbang to something. anything. I’m dyin’ here.

let’s play a game called “add the very first image that appears in your download folder”

Your faithful Missoula Punk News editor is alive! I always feel compelled to update posts with this, I realize, but it seemed important to note.

Lessee. Wednesday there’s the English Beat at the Top Hat! AKA the one band in the ska-punk realm that my parents, me, AND crabby ole Timmy from Buddy Jackson can agree on. Weird, right? Go read some background about the Beat so you sound smart at the show: “But where Joe Strummer spat angry lyrics, the Beat was out to let you know that love and unity would make it all okay in the end.”

Incidentally, the English Beat follow up the Toasters, making for a 100 percent increase of old-school ska at the Top Hat in 2014 over 2013. As far as I know, we can partly thank the owner, Nick, for that, because he likes ska. So let’s support this! Now if we could just get a venue owner who digs midwestern orgcore punk, I would be set.

Your faithful editor gets crabby and ungrateful about living in Missoula sometimes. Particularly when she is recently returned from trip to warm southern cities that have palm trees and punk rock all the time.

But! We have snow-covered mountainsides! And cheap beer! And no traffic! And metal! And even punk rock sometimes!

So to that end, February is pretty bleak, but March is looking up. We’re getting Lord Dying! And Helms Alee! And Iron Chic! I have what vague details I know up on the show calendar. Those three are all at the ZACC! All hail the all-ages venue!

Oh and hey. Helms Alee has a new album streaming. It is strengthening my resolve to get through this stupid cold snap.

Hey kids! There’s a house show this weekend with a lot of Billings peeps, go check out the show calendar. Get a hold of Buddy Jackson or the Idaho Green dudes, or email me at missoulapunknews at gmail dot com and I’ll try and hook you up with an address.

Oh, and last week was the 20th anniversary of Dookie. Here is a great internet comic about it from Liz Prince, who rules. I don’t listen to Dookie incessantly like I did in high school, but god damn if I don’t still love that album.

It’s Black History Month! Perhaps in honor of that, check out American Promise, the documentary streaming online about the experiences of African American kids in a Manhattan school.

Hey all! Your faithful webmistress left Missoula for the arid expanse of the Arizona desert for a few days (and also to party with people and see Menzingers and Off With Their Heads) and consequently I’ve been out of the local loop. That is, I missed Rock Lotto. I am fully aware that I missed one of the biggest local music events of the year. Oops. Sometimes a lady just really needs to get out of town, though. You can find plenty of Lotto recapping and hilariousness on teh bookface; here’s the event page just in case.

Anyhoo, fun stuff is on tap in these parts, like the American Falcon residency at the VFW on Thursdays this month. I’ll get cracking on updating the show calendar.